Robert E. Mulvee, former bishop of Wilmington, dies at 88

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Bishop Robert E. Mulvee, shown in 2002, was head of the Diocese of Providence, R.I. Before that, he was the bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington.(Photo: CNS)

Former Bishop Robert E. Mulvee of the Diocese of Wilmington died Friday. He was 88.

Mulvee died after a brief illness, diocese spokesman Bob Krebs said in a statement.

Mulvee, the Catholic diocese's seventh bishop, was appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1985. He left the position when he was appointed coadjutor bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, in 1995. He retired in 2005.

"The people of this diocese had a great affection and admiration for Bishop Mulvee, and he loved and cherished them," said W. Francis Malooly, the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, in a statement. "He was a dedicated and faith-filled leader who will be greatly missed."

Malooly said he worked with Mulvee as part of the Maryland Catholic Conference when he was serving in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and Mulvee was Wilmington's bishop.

The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington has 56 parishes, 18 missions and 36 schools in Delaware and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Former Wilmington Diocese Bishop Robert E. Mulvee is shown in an undated photo.(Photo: THE NEWS JOURNAL)